December 31, 2007

The socks are started from the hand-spun sock yarn that dd, Alcariel on Ravelry, gifted me for Christmas. I decided to use Cascading Leaves for the pattern on ml #2 Addis. So far, I have the ribbing and first pattern repeat finished. The yarn is so soft .... am really looking forward to wearing these socks.Today I need to kitchener the toes of the Mystery Socks from Socktopia that I've knitted for a coffee friend. Yes, I had her try on the 3/4 finished socks to check the fit before Christmas. Then I can soak and block them.Other things that need to be completed as my New Year "intentions" ..... a knitted briefcase that only needs to have handles sewn on and then be felted plus making a lining for it ..... River Rapids socks that have the legs half completed ..... Thuja socks for dh ..... and a few other UFOs or WIPs, whatever you want to call them. Happy New Year! TLGB

December 30, 2007

I decided to join the SAM 5 as an incentive to whittle down the sock yarn stash. I hope to get the ten pairs of socks done (three are already finished) for my coffee "buddies" and then add more to my socks inventory. I absolutely have loved wearing knitted wool socks ..... the first time in my life when my feet have been warm! When our dd was home for Christmas, she asked me to teach her to crochet so that she could make shower puffs from dishcloth yarn. Well ..... it took all of about 5 minutes and she made three puffs before she went home on the 27th. I've made two so far .... haven't used either yet .... one was gifted to a retired teacher (she's 85 years young) who thought they were so beautiful. The pattern is available here.One gift that dd gave me was some sock yarn that she had spun. She had me pick the roving earlier this year ..... Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino in the colorway Magic Carpet Ride. It is sooo soft, it's going to feel great on my feet. Will post a pic after I get it "caked." TLGB

December 28, 2007

Here's a pic of the Thuja socks I started earlier this month for DH .... not done for Christmas, so will probably complete them in January. They are knit from CTH Supersock in the Java colorway (dark & med brown, blue-grey, dark sage) on ml. I had DH try them on Christmas Day to make sure they would fit over his high instep .... they did, so now all I have left is two long feet and toes. I've really enjoyed knitting these although the dark color is easier in sunlight or bright light.

I just have to kitchener the toes on the Socktopia Mystery Socks that I knitted for a friend for Christmas. I had her try them on since her feet are a lot smaller than mine. They weren't going to be home for Christmas, so will get those to her on Monday. I used Fortissima Socka Jeans on #2 Addi with ml. I did increase the sts by 8 since my friend likes loose-fitting socks due to vein trouble at her ankles. These were the first mystery anything that I knitted, so enjoyed the "surprise" of what was coming, but didn't like the wait for each step. Will post the pic when I have them finished this week-end.

My December shipment came from RSC on the 24th .... beautiful yarn ....... great pattern. When I "caked" the yarn, I noticed several (12+) knots in just one strand ... one 5-inch place had three such "blemishes." My dd, Alcariel, said that I should contact BMFA because that wasn't up to their standards at all. Well, ..... this morning I sent an email that started out with my "love" of the socks club and then a description of the yarn. Within two hours, I had a reply stating that a new skein of yarn was being sent. JoAnn and Blue Moon Rock! TLGB

December 15, 2007

Unfortunately, the last minutes socks are for DH, so they will probably be wrapped as a WIP, that's what dd suggested. I took the stitch pattern from Thuja, but since I'm using CTH sock yarn in the Java colorway, I had to increase the sts to 72 from the 44 for wstd. I'm about 5 inches down the leg (both socks are on ml), so will at least get started out on the feet before Christmas comes. The sun is shining today, so should be able to get a good pic outside on the snow. Oh, the spoiler to their completion is the fact that the high school where I teach decided to have semester tests before Christmas and finish the last 7 days of the semester with a "learning" experience left up to the individual teacher. Well, my classes are year-long, so I'm just continuing with the regular plans. It does mean, however, that I need to type my test this week-end instead of during Christmas vacation.Today is going to be the finish getting decorations out for Christmas.... the last three years the dd has had to work (she's a nurse), so wasn't able to come home. We took Christmas to her .... even a 2:00 a.m. Christmas dinner for the floor nurses in 2004 and 2006. This year, SHE'S COMING, so I need to really get all the Christmas "stuff" out. Hopefully I won't forget or can't find something that she really remembers. Then .... there's a pile of gifts to wrap .... just about everything is purchased except for a couple of stocking stuffers. Even with all of the "busy-ness" of the season, please remember the real reason for celebrating. TLGB

December 3, 2007

The Uptown Boot Socks that I hoped to finish in November, weren't finished until the morning of Dec. 2, so I guess that they will have to be December socks for the SAM KAL4. There were finished, however, just in time for the coldest day so far this winter. The yarn and sock blockers were a gift from my SP11, tryintaknit on Ravelry. Now I'm finishing the Mystery Socks from Socktopia .... just have one more repeat on the foot and then on to the toe. They should be finished in a couple of days. Then I suppose that I should finish the River Rapids Socks from Sockbug that have been on the needles too long .... only have about 3 inches knitted on the top down pair.Our trip to Branson was great ..... really puts one in the Christmas spirit. When we returned about 9:30 last night the temp was only 7 degrees above zero with wind-chills of about -11! We had left Branson with a gentle shower coming down with temps in the upper 40's. When we stopped mid-afternoon at Miller Pecan Farm near DeWitt, Missouri, the owner said that the temp had fallen 20 degrees in 30 minutes about mid-morning. It just became colder and colder the farther north we travelled. When we finally got home, we had about 3 inches of snow encrusted on top with about an inch of ice. Our neighbor was kind enough to clean off the drive and main sidewalk, so we just need to finish the rest. I spread a corn-based ice melt on the front step and sidewalk from there to the drive. Hopefully, it will be softened, loosened enough by the time I return home from school this afternoon.(it is two-hours late this morning).I didn't find any yarn shops in Branson. Didn't really have time. We were sooooo busy going to shows ...... absolutely loved the three-hour Danny O'Donnell show, Mannheim Steamroller, and Shoji Tubachi. The other fours shows were enjoyable, but not as outstanding as these three. As the "youngsters" on the bus, the others had our three listed as their bottom three ... to each his own.